A Recent AIIA Queensland event on Tuesday 1st September, saw Hungarian Australian communications advisor, Ildi Amon, share her experience volunteering for newly elected Hungarian Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, and his Tisza campaign prior to the April elections this year.
Widely remarked as one of Europe’s most important elections in 2026, it was especially critical for the Hungarian people as it saw the defeat of Viktor Orban’s Fidesz government after 16 years in power. The Fidesz government had seen years of complacency and with it, growing resentment amongst the population, which Amon had experienced having lived in Hungary for nine years.
But Magyar’s win was about more than voter dissatisfaction. Amon highlights that the strength of Tisza’s campaign resided in its reminder to people that their vote holds power.
In February 2024, Peter Magyar catapulted into the public eye after sharing his critiques of the Fidesz government in an online interview, following a recent scandal. It had come to light that the Fidesz government had pardoned an individual who had protected a paedophile. This fractured the persona of Fidesz as closely aligning with conservative Christian values and ultimately paved the way for the Tisza campaign.
Amon noted that Magyar and his critiques were not easily dismissed by the Fidesz government, as he had worked under the government as a diplomat and a bureaucrat. Coming from a politically connected middle class Christian family, Magyar positioned the Tisza campaign in the centre of the political spectrum, allowing the Party to be more than a protest vote, it was a legitimate government alternative for millions of dissatisfied Hungarians.
The Tisza campaign was characterised by its grassroots action, digital presence and community ownership. ‘Tisza Islands,’ dispersed campaign centres, were crucial to the movement, with local groups recruiting supporters, campaigning and organising local activities within their communities. Amon reflects that although this essentially relinquished control over the campaign, it allowed people to feel a sense of ownership over it too, which became “one of the smartest things that Tisza did”.
While Orban favoured a traditional campaign of maintaining distance, both physically and digitally, Magyar was seen walking through swarms of people gathered at his public forums, which were also livestreamed to YouTube. Tisza mobilised people through online platforms and social media, bypassing traditional advertising campaigns and directly engaging with supporters and challengers alike. In comparison, the Fidesz campaign relied on fear-based messaging and AI-generated attacks, which failed to energise voters in the same way.
Tisza had constructed a campaign that Magyar alone could not win. Amon was one of those volunteers leading public outreach. She reflected on her own viral moment having shared online her participation in Hungary’s marathon wearing a shirt with a slogan linked to Tisza: ‘Step by step.’ Amon notes that Magyar “treated online spaces like another public square.”
The elections in April 2026 ultimately became a referendum on new vs old, west vs east and a desire for change after nearly two decades of Fidesz rule. It also mobilised hundreds of thousands of new voters, with nearly 80% of the population turning out to vote against the usual 60-70%.
Looking ahead, the appetite for accountability for the Fidesz government remains huge amongst the Hungarian population. Meanwhile, the Tisza government is made up of politically fresh faces with little experience who are learning how to run a country. One member at the event questioned the sustainability of a campaign relying on one charismatic leader.
But Amon’s point remains. The success of the Tisza campaign in Hungary cannot be isolated to the charisma of Peter Magyar, nor to social media algorithms leveraging his aesthetic and authentic content. Tisza succeeded in energising Hungarian voters, reminding them that they are not passive participants in their democracy, but active power-holders. Amon’s overarching reflection from her time in the campaign was that “people want to be involved” and when they’re given platforms to use their voice, even a country that had long been governed under one rule can move for change.
Written by: Tayla Linton-Smith
